Requirements (Dublin III Regulation)

“Family reunification”is the European regulation that gives the opportunity to one or more members of a family staying in Greece to “reunite” with their family living in another state of the European Union (third country) - certain requirements apply. In order for this to take place, the applicant who is in Greece, must file a request to be transferred to that European state (third country) and to have his/her asylum application examined there.

The State (country) responsible to determine whether the requirements for someone to be included in the family reunification program are met, is the country the applicant currently resides. The competent body is the Asylum Service. The country responsible to decide if someone can join the family reunification program is the country where the family member/members the applicant wish to reunite with, legally reside.

These relationships should have already been formed in your country of origin.

However, if the family member being at another European country has been granted a residence permit, then the family member who is in Greece can request family reunification regardless if these family relationships were formed previously in the country of origin.

2. The family member who is in another European country should have submitted an asylum application in that country.

3. The family member in Greece and the family member in the other European country must both declare in writing their consent regarding their reunification in the Asylum Service of the country where each of them is located.

If the applicant in Greece is dependent on a child, brother/sister or parent who resides permanently in another European Country due to pregnancy, recent labour, serious disease, serious disability or advanced age, he/she can request a family reunification with him/her. The same applies if the child, brother/sister or parent of the applicant residing permanently in another European country depends on the applicant’s assistance for the same reasons (Article 16 Dublin III Regulation).

The asylum applicant can request to reunite with any person being in another country of the European Union with whom he/she has a relationship based specifically on family or cultural criteria (humanitarian reasons). The Asylum Service can ask that country to take charge of the asylum applicant to reunite him/her with this person, even if the other member state is not responsible for the asylum application examination (Article 17 Dublin III Regulation).

The country asked to take charge, will proceed to any verification it deems necessary in order to examine the citing humanitarian reasons and replies to the country that has submitted the request within two (2) months. If the request is rejected, the reasons will be stated in the answer. Once the request is accepted, then the responsibility for examining the applicant’s asylum application is transferred to that country.